Nachwuchsgruppe: Mobilität von Hochqualifizierten

Place is an important factor influencing international student mobility (ISM). However, few studies have comprehensively examined the role of place in ISM. This special issue intends to narrow this gap by considering the role of place in ISM from different perspectives. The articles contributing to the special issue discuss three dimensions of place, namely the physical characteristics of place, the meanings and valuations of place, and social inequalities associated with place. The special issue highlights several theoretical, methodological, and empirical avenues to further advance research on the role of place in ISM.

We contribute to research on social inequalities in educational attainment by examining the role of institutional contexts for students’ study abroad (SA) intent and participation. To do so, we extend the individual-level rational choice model predicting SA intent and participation depending on students’ socioeconomic status (SES) into a multi-level model emphasizing the importance of context effects. We test our model based on unique micro-level student data, which we supplement with context data. Examining 18,510 students nested in 69 universities, we provide the first in-depth multi-level analyses of SA intent and participation of students from Japan.

We examine the mechanisms explaining the dropout intentions of students with disabilities by integrating Tinto’s model of student integration, the student attrition model, the composite persistence model, and insights from social stratification research. Overall, our results highlight the importance of considering both students’ integration into higher education and their private resources for understanding student-group-specific dropout intent.

Early-life environments can have long-lasting effects on individuals’ later life courses. Interestingly, research on the effects of school reforms has hardly adopted this perspective. Therefore, we investigate a staggered school reform that reduced the number of school years and increased weekly instructional time for secondary school students in most German federal states. We analyze this quasi-experiment in a difference-in-differences framework using nationally representative large-scale survey data on 69,513 students who attended university between 1998 and 2016. Using both TWFE and weighted-group ATT estimators, we find negative effects of reform exposure on hours spent attending classes and on self-study.

While recent research has investigated what signals of academic performance govern academics’ access to professorships, whether the power of such signals varies across disciplines has to date hardly been examined. We argue that the signaling power of academic achievements depends on the discipline-specific degree of standardization of research and on the spatio-temporal universality of research objects. Using a factorial survey experiment with Germany-based university professors of German studies, selected social sciences, and chemistry, we investigate the suitability of fictitious candidates for a tenured professorship (N respondents = 874, N vignettes = 6354).

Während im Sommersemester 2016 knapp 17 Prozent der Studierenden bereits studienbezogene Auslandserfahrung gesammelt hatten, lag dieser Wert im Sommersemester 2021 nur bei gut 12 Prozent. Somit hat sich der seit 2012 zu beobachtende Trend fallender Mobilitätsquoten auch im Jahr 2021 fortgesetzt. Die Verringerung der Mobilitätsquote in den letzten Jahren geht vor allem auf gesunkene Anteile Studierender zurück, die im Ausland Praktika oder Exkursionen absolvieren. Der Anteil Studierender mit einer Auslandsstudienphase ist relativ gesehen nur geringfügig gesunken.
Bei Auslandsaufenthalten und Plänen für zukünftige Auslandsaufenthalte lassen sich im Jahr 2021 Ungleichheiten nach Sozialgruppen beobachten, die sich bereits vor Beginn ...

Every year, substantial numbers of students become internationally mobile. Although international experiences are often promoted as benefitting graduates’ career development, until recently there had been little sound research examining whether different types of student mobility pay off in the labour market. Against this background, this policy brief summarises available evidence on the labour market outcomes SMS and SMI. It also develops ideas on how policymakers can contribute to enhancing the outcomes of these types of ISM for students, higher education institutions, and employers.

We contribute to research on social inequalities in educational attainment by examining the role of institutional contexts for students’ study abroad (SA) intent and participation. First, we examine social inequalities in SA choice by extending the individual-level rational choice model into a multi-level framework that emphasizes the importance of context effects. Second, using unique micro-level student data (N=18,510, nested in 69 universities across Japan) supplemented with context data, we empirically examine how university contexts shape inequalities in SA choice according to students’ socioeconomic status (SES). In doing so, we provide the first in-depth multi-level analysis of SA in Japan.

Considering the increased emphasis on inclusion in Erasmus+, this policy brief aims to explore the profile of Erasmus+ students and the obstacles they face when going abroad. It draws particular attention to students’ socio-economic background, gender, and disability status. Our analysis shows that although steps have been taken towards more inclusion and diversity of Erasmus+ participants, study abroad opportunities are still not equally accessible to all students. Therefore, we formulate five recommendations for higher education institutions, national agencies, and the European Commission with a view of making international student mobility more inclusive.

Während weitgehend bekannt ist, welche Kriterien den Zugang zu einer Universitätsprofessur beeinflussen, wurde bislang nicht systematisch untersucht, wie sich die Signalkraft akademischer Leistungen nach Fachdisziplinen unterscheidet. Wir argumentieren, dass die Signalkraft akademischer Leistungen von der disziplinspezifischen Standardisierung des Forschungsprozesses sowie der raumzeitlichen Universalität der Forschungsgegenstände abhängt. Mithilfe eines faktoriellen Surveyexperiments unter Professorinnen und Professoren der Germanistik, ausgewählter Sozialwissenschaften und der Chemie untersuchen wir die eingeschätzte Eignung von fiktiven Kandidatinnen und Kandidaten für eine unbefristete Professur.

Recent evidence suggests that women are more likely to be selected for professorships when they apply. This female advantage may be partly due to the widely promoted gender-equality policy of having a substantial female quota in selection committees. Yet, research has rarely considered whether male and female committee members evaluate applicants for professorships differently. We address this research gap based on a large factorial survey experiment with German university professors from different disciplines. We asked these professors to rate how qualified hypothetical applicants are for full professorships and the likelihood of inviting these applicants for a job interview.

Integrating research on school-to-work transitions, international migration, and social inequality, this article investigates the social stratification of international school-to-work transitions and their payoff. Existing research shows that spatial mobility can amplify social inequalities both through social selectivity in access to mobility and through heterogeneity in its labor market outcomes. Building on these findings, we investigate the social selectivity of international school-to-work transitions (ISWT) and the wage difference between ISWT and national school-to-work transitions (NSWT) among graduates from higher education institutions in Germany.

Der Beitrag illustriert Konstruktionsprinzipien, Potenziale und Fallstricke von Vignettenexperimenten anhand eines faktoriellen Surveyexperiments zur Bedeutung soziodemografscher und meritokratischer Merkmale beim Zugang zur Professur. Im Rahmen des Surveyexperiments wurden alle Universitätsprofessor*innen der Germanistik, Soziologie, Politikwissenschaft, Geographie und Chemie in Deutschland eingeladen, Vignettenprofile hypothetischer Wissenschaftler*innen auf ihre Eignung für unbefristete Professuren hin zu beurteilen. Anhand dieser Beispielanwendung veranschaulicht der Beitrag die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen von Vignettenexperimenten mit Blick auf die Validität der erzielten Ergebnisse.

Das vorgestellte Literaturreview fasst die Ergebnisse von Studien zum Einfluss studienbezogener Auslandsmobilität auf das Arbeitseinkommen von Hochschulabsolventinnen und -absolventen zusammen. Es zeigt, dass studienbezogene Auslandserfahrung in vielen Beschäftigungskontexten und Ländern einen moderaten positiven Einfluss auf das Arbeitseinkommen hat. Dieser variiert jedoch nach den jeweils betrachteten Absolventengruppen, Beschäftigungskontexten und Arten von Auslandsaufenthalten. Erklären lassen sich die beobachteten Einkommenseffekte vor allem dadurch, dass auslandserfahrene Absolventinnen und Absolventen häufiger gewinnbringend den Arbeitgeber wechseln und besseren Zugang zu gut zahlenden großen und multinationalen Arbeitgebern haben.

In many Western countries, women are more likely to study abroad than men. At present, there is a lack of theory-guided empirical studies searching explanations for this pattern. We address this research gap by examining gender differences in study abroad intent among first-semester students in Germany. To derive a comprehensive theoretical framework, we draw on social role theory of sex differences, cognitive development theory, new home economics and statistical discrimination theory. Using data from the nationally representative 2010 DZHW School Leavers Survey, we test our hypotheses by estimating logistic regressions and non-linear effect decompositions.

This editorial to the special issue on heterogeneous effects of studying abroad starts with a review of studies on the determinants and individual-level effects of studying abroad. On that basis, it illustrates the necessity to place more emphasis on effect heterogeneity in research on international student mobility. It then develops a typology of heterogeneous effects of studying abroad, which shall function as an agenda for future research in the field. Thereafter, the editorial introduces the contributions to the special issue. It concludes by summarising major findings and directions for future research.

Studying abroad can positively influence students’ personality development, transversal skills, and labour market outcomes. At the same time, students from a high social origin are more likely to study abroad than students from a low social origin. Against this background, recent research has suggested that international student mobility (ISM) may foster the reproduction of social inequality. However, this assumption has hardly been tested empirically. Drawing on social stratification theory, we first demonstrate that a scenario in which ISM increases social inequality (cumulative advantage) is as plausible as a scenario in which it decreases social inequality (compensatory levelling).

In this article, we review quantitative studies that empirically examine whether studying abroad influences graduates’ wages. Our review suggests that studying abroad has a moderate positive effect on graduates’ early-career wages in various national and institutional settings. However, this effect tends to vary across groups of graduates, employment contexts, and types of stays abroad. Employer change, access to large and multinational companies, and access to high-wage labor markets abroad appear to be the most relevant mechanisms mediating the effect of studying abroad on wages. Other mechanisms, such as improved language skills and a greater tendency to pursue further education, turn out to be less relevant.

In einem systematischen Review werten Nicolai Netz, Svenja Hampel und Valeria Aman 96 empirische Studien zum Einfluss internationaler Mobilität auf wissenschaftliche Karrieren aus. Die Analyse dieses noch jungen, aber in den letzten Jahren sehr dynamischen Forschungsfeldes zeigt, dass internationale Mobilität zum Ausbau wissenschaftlicher Netzwerke beiträgt. Zudem gibt es Hinweise, dass internationale Mobilität die wissenschaftliche Produktivität und Rezeption, das heißt die Anzahl der Publikationen und Zitationen, erhöhen kann. Auch den beruflichen Aufstieg kann internationale Mobilität begünstigen. Sie scheint jedoch ebenso mit durchschnittlich längeren befristeten Beschäftigungsverhältnissen einherzugehen.

Der Lockdown im Frühjahr führte auch bei Professorinnen und Professoren zu einer stark veränderten Organisation von Arbeit und Privatleben – mit Auswirkungen auf ihre Publikationsproduktivität. In unserer Befragung berichteten Frauen häufiger als Männer, dass sie aufgrund der zusätzlichen Kinderbetreuung und einem erhöhten Zeitaufwand für die Online-Lehre weniger Artikel einreichen konnten. Die große Mehrheit der Befragten befürwortet, Kinder stärker bei der Beurteilung der wissenschaftlichen Produktivität zu berücksichtigen.

Using theories of social inequality and migration, we combine the research strands dealing with study-related international mobility and with migration-related inequalities in higher education. Based on data from the 20th German Social Survey, we examine mechanisms through which a migration background may influence whether students in Germany intend to study abroad. Logistic regressions show that students with a migration background tend to be disadvantaged regarding their social background, which reduces their likelihood of intending to study in a different country.

The internationalization and specialization of science confront scientists with opportunities and sometimes even a need to become internationally mobile during their careers. Against this background, we systematically reviewed empirical studies on the effects that mobility across national borders has on the careers of scientists. Using several search channels, we identified 96 studies – published between 1994 and 2019 – that examine how international mobility influences eight dimensions of scientists’ careers.

In recent years, the body of evidence suggesting that studying abroad during higher education can positively influence students’ personality development, academic knowledge and skills, intercultural competences, and employment prospects has increased. Policy makers and scholars alike want to understand who reaps these benefits and who does not. Hence, we review studies examining how key socio-demographic variables (gender, age, socio-economic background, and ethnicity) influence the likelihood of studying abroad.

Die Studie untersucht auf Basis des Promoviertenpanels des Deutschen Zentrums für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung (DZHW), inwiefern sich die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Auslandsaufenthalten nach Promotionskontexten unterscheidet. Promovierende in strukturierten Programmen (33%) und Stipendienprogrammen (30%) gehen deutlich häufiger ins Ausland als Promovierende auf Haushalts- (18%) und Drittmittelstellen (14%) sowie frei Promovierende (6%). Logistischen Regressionen zufolge erklärt sich dies teils durch individuelle Selektion in Promotionskontexte, insbesondere in Abhängigkeit der studienbezogenen Auslandserfahrung und des Promotionsfachs.

In einer kürzlich gemeinsam mit seinem Kollegen Daniel Völk als DZHW Brief veröffentlichten Analyse befasst er Nicolai Netz mit der Frage, wie sich soziale Ungleichheiten bei der studienbezogenen Auslandsmobilität von Studierenden in Deutschland im Kontext der Corona-Pandemie entwickelt haben. Im Interview mit uns erläutert er, welche Befunde er besonders wichtig und überraschend fand, wo sich die auffälligsten Unterschiede zwischen den betrachteten Studierendengruppen zeigten und und welche Schlussfolgerungen sich aus seiner Sicht hieraus für die Hochschulpraxis ergeben.

Im Jahr 2021 hat Nicolai Netz gemeinsam mit drei Forschenden aus Portugal, Schweden und den Niederlanden das EU-geförderte European Network on International Student Mobility (ENIS) ins Leben gerufen. Ein wichtiges Ziel des Netzwerks ist die Förderung des Austauschs zwischen Hochschulforschung und -praxis. Im Interview erläutert er, wie es zur Gründung des Netzwerks kam, wie die Zusammenarbeit im Netzwerk genau funktioniert und wie es in den nächsten Jahren mit dem Netzwerk weitergehen soll.

Early-life environments can have long-lasting effects on how individual life courses develop. Interestingly, research on the effects of school reforms has hardly adopted this perspective. Therefore, we investigate a staggered school reform that reduced the number of school years and increased weekly instructional time for secondary school students in most German federal states. We analyze this quasi-experiment in a difference-in-differences framework using representative large-scale survey data on 70,496 students who attended university between 1998 and 2016. We find negative effects of reform exposure on hours spent attending classes and on self-study.